Gerhart Hauptmann

Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946) was a German writer and dramatist and one of the leading representatives of Naturalism. After abandoning an apprenticeship in agriculture and studying sculpture for two years in Dresden, he turned to literature. He became known with the drama “Before Sunrise” (1889). His major works include “The Weavers,” “Bahnwärter Thiel,” and “The Beaver Coat,” which often portray the lives of ordinary people and social conflict. Hauptmann was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1912.